@noelle @theZacAttacks@cybre.space Voyager's big challenge as a show is that, because of its narrative superstructure -- "the crew is heading home" -- we know as a metanarrative that any "get home early" gimmick will fail unless it's a mid-season or end-of-season two-parter. That would be fine if they focused more on their limited resources along the way, but they devote considerable episode count to pursuing avenues of rescue we know can't possibly work because of how the narrative is being told.
@theZacAttacks@cybre.space @noelle Really, Voyager just doesn't ever lean into its premise. They blow through their limited torpedo count by season 4. They only mention the Maquis are rebels once after the first episode. There's no sense while watching most episodes that they're actually running out of anything. They undercut most of the available narrative tension by focusing on the trip rather than the emotional toll of the journey, and we know most of those shortcuts have to fail so there's still a show.
